Roped-off turtle nesting area

Even though we had already seen the loggerhead sea turtles up close in Argostoli, I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to see more down in Keri. Although the location was beautiful, the visit was disappointing. There are too many ‘zoom zoom’ boats chartered by misbehaving tourists, going too fast, leaving trash behind, and giving the island a bad rap. I feel for the turtles here.

Marathonisi Island (otherwise known as Turtle Island)

Turtle Island is beautiful, and we got up early to go visit before the tour boats arrived.

We were able to circumnavigate the entire island, and even had the chance to go through some caves so low you could only manage in a dinghy our size. Unfortunately, we came across a huge bag of trash partially submerged on our way back, and spent a lot of time securing it and then towing it to shore for proper disposal.

Our good deed for the day

I’m happy to report that our time on Keri ended well, as we saw an OCC flag on our way back to the boat and stopped to chat with Phil and Norma on s/v Minnie B. It’s always good to catch up with fellow cruisers and meet new ones!